Tag Archives: macro

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Northern California

Blue Dicks Flowers

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Blue Dicks Flowers
A cluster of spring blue dicks blossoms.

Blue Dicks Flowers. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

A cluster of spring blue dicks blossoms.

(Note: It has been brought to my attention that I may have misidentified these flowers as blue dicks. I’m checking on it and plan to update. For the record, I’m far, far from being an expert on flower identification!)

These beautiful – but oddly-named — wildflowers are all over the place in the San Francisco Bay Area during the spring months. They first appear during that magical period when the tall grasses are intensely green from winter rains, and then they stick around as the hills begin to turn brown or, as we like to say in California, “golden.” While I see these flowers every season, this was a banner year for them.

I often find individual blossoms or small groups blooming at the end of long, swaying stems. I like to photograph them from the side, often with some appropriate foliage background. But this group was so large and positioned low enough that I could photograph straight down into this nature bouquet, with its flowers in varying shades of blue and splayed out in all directions.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Photographs: Nature

Flowering Maple

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Flowering Maple
Macro photograph of the center of a colorful flowering maple blossom..

Flowering Maple. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Macro photograph of the center of a colorful flowering maple blossom..

This photograph definitely required me to put away the usual lens and replace it with a real macro lens — the camera position is “up close and personal” with the internals of this flowering maple blossom. Looking at the whole flower you would see a red bloom, but the internal structure includes some other colors — this yellow-gold and the interesting five-lobed green pattern inside the base of the flower.

I’m always challenged by this subject. I have some of general sense of what I want to see in flower photographs that I make, but it often isn’t quite clear how to find/create that. So, in a manner that might seem a bit like wildlife photography, I usually make several different attempts with each subject, looking for the one that speaks to me.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

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Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

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All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Photographs: Nature, Photographs: Structures and Objects

Blue Hyacinth

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Blue Hyacinth
“Blue Hyacinth” — Macro photography of bue hyacinth flowers.

While I like photographing flowers, I’m no expert on the plant world or flowers. In fact, I have a heck of a time keeping their names straight! It has always been this way. It has always been the case that I could recognize the appearance of a wildflower, down to the specific spot where I might find it, the week when it would typically bloom, and what else might grow nearby… yet be unable to recall its name. These hyacinth flowers intrigue me… but I didn’t know what they were called!

I did, however, recognize that they are not easy to photograph. Their shape creates challenges regarding depth of field, especially when I try to photograph individual blossoms. If finally occurred to me that, rather than trying to photograph separate flowers, I could photograph from a position directly a above the plant and capture the remarkable patterns produced by the mass of flowers radiating out from the central stem.

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G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him. Blog | Bluesky | Mastodon | Substack Notes | Flickr | Email

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Photographs: Nature

Spring Plants

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Spring Plants
Spring plants at the Filoli Garden.

Spring Plants. © Copyright 2023 G Dan Mitchell.

Spring plants at the Filoli Garden.

Considering the weather California has been having, you’d have to forgive us for not remembering that spring is just around the corner. We’ve had weeks of colder than normal temperatures, lower than normal snow lines, and greater than normal rain. A few months ago we were hoping that there might be enough rain to curtail our drought, but now many are starting to say, “enough, already!” But when I look past the wintry weather I see that the green world is coming back to life.

Recently we headed to a nearby garden that features blooming bulbs at about this time each year. The blooms were starting, but seem to be a bit behind schedule. (You’ll like see photos or those flowers here soon.) But the plants are definitely emerging from winter slumber and growing like crazy. I photographed the green leaves of these bulbs in soft sunlight.

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” is available from Heyday Books, Amazon, and directly from G Dan Mitchell.

Blog | About | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook | Email

Links to Articles, Sales and Licensing, my Sierra Nevada Fall Color book, Contact Information.

Scroll down to leave a comment or question. (Click this post’s title first if you are viewing on the home page.)

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.